Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 186 The Four Talented Men of the World
"You're going to kill Xiao Feng?" Jiang Mingzhe asked with a playful look and a nonchalant tone.

“Xiao Feng? Yes!” The bearded monk was taken aback at first, then nodded: “That scoundrel now has the surname Xiao, and he is no longer worthy to use my Han surname! What, are you afraid, benefactor?”

The bearded monk said with a righteous expression, "That scoundrel is indeed highly skilled in martial arts, but justice will prevail. If dozens or hundreds of us attack together, I don't believe we can't beat this bastard to death."

"It's not that I'm afraid."

Jiang Mingzhe shook his head and began to flex his wrists: "But the Xiao Feng you want to kill happens to be my sworn brother. Since you want to make things difficult for him, I'm sorry I can't lend you this boat."

"You're the sworn brother of that dog Xiao Feng?" The bearded monk was startled, then flew into a rage: "Fine! Since you know he's a Khitan dog, you still call him brother? I don't think you're a good person either. Take this punch!"

After saying that, he rushed forward and kicked the table. Murong Fu snorted and threw the table with one hand. The table landed behind everyone, and the cups, plates and chopsticks were still on the table.

Zhong Ling was overjoyed and said to Wang Yuyan, "Your cousin is so good to you, knowing you haven't eaten enough..."

The bearded monk missed his kick and was stunned for a moment. Then he roared and threw a punch at Jiang Mingzhe.

Just as Jiang Mingzhe was about to make a move, Murong Fu was one step ahead. With a wave of his hand, the monk's punch was redirected midway and struck him in the chest with a thud. He groaned and staggered backward.

Murong Fu stood up proudly and said, "How dare you lay a hand on my worthy brother in front of me, Murong Fu?"

The bearded monk exclaimed in surprise, "Murong Fu, Murong of the South! Is this what they mean by 'an eye for an eye'? You...you've actually joined forces with Xiao Feng!"

Murong Fu said, "My relationship with Xiao Feng is merely one of spiritual connection, but this young hero Jiang Mingzhe is my best brother!"

Jiang Mingzhe nodded and said, "That's right, it's the young hero Jiang Mingzhe, who is known as one of the Four Heroes of the World!"

"The Four Heroes of the World?" The bearded monk turned to look at the other monks, who all shook their heads. The bearded monk said in surprise, "If we're talking about heroes from the South, I've heard of the Two Heroes of Maoshan, the Five Tyrants of Jinling, the Seven Dragons of the Yangtze River, and the Four Swords of Runzhou, but I've never heard of the Four Heroes of the World."

Jiang Mingzhe laughed, "Your understanding is laughable. You actually want to make things difficult for Brother Xiao. I already said it's the world, the whole world, the four most handsome people under heaven, who are the Four Heroes of the World—"

Jiang Mingzhe pointed at Kumārajīva: "The most outstanding monk in the world, the Great Wheel King Kumārajīva!"

Pointing at Murong Fu: "The most handsome prince in the world, Murong Fu, grandson of the Great Yan!"

He casually revealed Murong Fu's background as the "grandson of the Great Yan King," which startled Murong Fu, Deng Baichuan, and Gongye Qian. They were immediately relieved to realize that Jiang Mingzhe must have a hidden meaning in order to create momentum for the upcoming opening of the Qinghai-Tibet border.

Jiang Mingzhe then pointed north: "And there's Brother Xiao Feng, the most handsome beggar in the world!"

He patted his chest again: "And then there's my little brother Jiang Mingzhe, the most handsome man in the world!"

Zhong Ling shouted her support like a little squirrel: "Yes!"

The bearded monk retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? Who decided that you're the best in the world?"

He pointed at Kumārajīva and angrily said, "How can this foreign monk be considered the most outstanding monk? I don't accept it!"

Jiang Mingzhe sneered, "What right do you have to disagree? Let me tell you plainly, Master Kumārajīva is the National Preceptor of Tibet, known as the most handsome man in the snowy land. There is a poem to prove it: 'A man like jade on the snow, the wise king is unparalleled in the world!'" The bearded monk was stunned. He looked closely at Kumārajīva. Kumārajīva smiled and nodded, his demeanor elegant. The bearded monk's anger subsided. He thought to himself, "Well, this Tibetan monk is indeed dignified and handsome. There is also a poem to prove it. I'm afraid the title of 'most handsome monk' is really true!"
He then looked at Murong Fu and sneered, "So Murong of Gusu is a descendant of the Xianbei Yan Kingdom. Heh, my Great Song has countless famous kings, what makes him the number one handsome king?"

Jiang Mingzhe said, "These princes of the Song Dynasty only know how to drink, play football, and frolic with women. They compete in martial arts and looks. Who can compare to my brother Murong? Don't be silly. I say he is the most handsome prince, and there is a poem to prove it: 'Sweeping away the wind and clouds, a million soldiers, the sword at his waist still stained with blood. The mountain monk does not recognize the hero's lord, but only keeps asking his name!'"

This poem was written later by the Ming Taizu Emperor. Jiang Mingzhe casually changed a few words and recited it. Deng Baichuan and Gongye Qian felt their hearts swell with pride and cheered in unison.

Murong Fu's eyes lit up. He thought to himself, "This poem is wonderful! Even I can tell it's good. That's really great!"

A surge of emotions welled up within him. He pressed down on the hilt of his sword, looked at the bearded monk, and said, "Haha, it is indeed the mountain monk who does not recognize the hero's master, only incessantly asking for his name!"

The bearded man was taken aback by the sudden surge of the man's imposing aura and instinctively turned his gaze away.

Wang Yuyan secretly shook her head, thinking to herself that she used to often advise her cousin to read some poetry and books to cultivate his character, but he didn't even want to learn Chinese characters. He was only interested in military books or stories of kings and generals fighting, unlike her older brother who was both literate and skilled in martial arts.

He said there were poems to prove it, but I've never heard of any of them before, yet they fit so perfectly. What else could it be but that he wrote them himself?

She couldn't help but stare at Jiang Mingzhe, thinking: He wrote a poem praising my mother as "a beauty that stands out in the crowd, making all other beauties pale in comparison!" But my mother isn't actually that beautiful. He's made her so infatuated with his praise that she writes those two lines on paper every now and then, probably dozens or even hundreds of times, until she starts to believe it herself.

Then I thought: My grandfather said I was prettier than my mother, so why didn't he write me a poem?

I kept thinking: He's going to write about me, but I wonder what kind of sentences he'll write. This person is a bit pretentious; he even claims to be the most handsome man in the world...

Thinking of this, she suddenly froze, blinked, and realized that in her life, no man had ever been more handsome than Jiang Mingzhe, not even her cousin could compare. Could it be that he wasn't bragging and was actually the most handsome man in the world?

At this moment, tensions were running high between the two sides. The young girl was lost in her own thoughts, and apart from Zhong Ling, no one else paid any attention to her.

Zhong Ling glanced sideways at Wang Yuyan, recalling a Jiangnan proverb that A Zhu had taught them: "A smiling man is no good; a blushing woman is thinking of her husband!"

He gritted his teeth inwardly, thinking to himself, "What good ideas could this fat man possibly have when he sees my brother Jiang's face turn red?"

The bearded monk, having been refuted twice in a row, was greatly discouraged and dared not continue to question whether the titles of "Number One Beggar" and "Number One Handsome Gentleman" were truly deserved. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "What good is being handsome? A real man in this world is judged by his true talent and ability! If you have any guts, don't rely on the Murong family's influence. Do you dare to come and fight me with a single punch?"

Jiang Mingzhe laughed loudly: "What's there to be afraid of? Monk, if you can't take this punch from me, you should go back to the temple to chant sutras and pray to Buddha as soon as possible, and stop thinking about making things difficult for my Brother Xiao."

After saying that, he strode out and beckoned, "Come here!"

The bearded monk took a deep breath, circulated it through his body a few times, and then exhaled, "Moo!"

In an instant, he rushed out, twisted his waist and swung his arm, raising his right arm like a bull's horn, and delivered an extremely fierce swing punch!
Wang Yuyan exclaimed, "It's the 'Giant Horn' move from the Iron Ox Blocking the River Fist! This punch cannot be taken head-on, we must..."

Before she could explain how to break the spell, Jiang Mingzhe let out a strange "coo-coo" sound and threw a punch at her.

The two fists collided without any fancy moves. The bearded monk groaned and flew backward, spitting out blood like it was free.

(End of this chapter)